Retreat Stories

Why stories can save lives . When I was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 41 my friend called me up, “make something good come of it,” she told me. I knew then I would write about it and that became my 5th book Love and Above. My way, like so many other storytellers who have lived through the centuries, is to share stories by writing or telling them. We tell them in social gatherings, on a stage, in a book or in a diary. But we must tell them because storytellers have a c

As an agent it can take me up to a year to get a book publishing deal for an author. It is a combination of so many elements that come together to make a publisher say YES. To be honest, most of it is luck, contacts, good timing and simply having a good book to show them.  The truth is that this 'being an author' is a long game, and along the journey you have to keep the momentum up, process any rejection letters, implement any feedback, get back to it, and keep going. Rinse

There is only one answer to this question (in my view). YES of course you should plan a book! I believe in writing with intent if you want to get published. If you are writing non-fiction you are going to be 100% clear about what is going to go into your book. You are going to have a clear list of your chapters and what material you will cover in each. Your planning will become your book proposal and it will guide your entire book. But is a novel different? No.

By Miriam Sagan for Writers Digest No poet likes to hear the expression "slush pile"_ it implies that our creations have gone into a heap...

Your book needs a theme. A theme is closely aligned to your plot and often the words are used interchangably. I see them as different howeve

Once again we look forward to the publishing market for the upcoming publishing cycle. It is so useful for an author to be aware of...

What does it actually t ake to write a book? Below is a list of 10 things (five short and five longer ones). Join me in 2025 and finally...

Think of your back cover blurb like a movie trailer. There is a good reason movie trailers are not made by the writer. It’s so hard as writer to think of your book as a product. It feel like an oversell and a bit awkward to hype it so much right? Not true. This tight piece of writing needs to be SO crafted and SO clever. It also needs to make your book seem dramatic and desperately exciting (far more than it really is). Look, no book – or movie – can sustain that level of exc

Here's the question we all ask. What if my book sucks? It doesn’t matter how many books you have written (like me); lalunching a book is a

Chapter excerpt from “ABOUT ORIGINAL & WILD VOICE IN SPEAKING AND WRITING”, from “Tending the Creative Fire manuscript” by Dr. Clarissa...

See if you can find yourself and your writing style in my article below where I detail The 7 Kinds of Writers. You may have a laugh. Are...

Janis Petzel joined us on the Greece Writing Retreat where storytellers gathered and magic filled the air. This is her account of her...

This is an extract from the book Love and Above: A journey through shamanism, coma and joy. The book is available on Amazon, in stores in...

As I faced the prospect of retrenchment a year ago, I spent some time with my friend Google, searching his pages for direction to my...

Write your Book' the post read. 'Join us on a writing retreat on the beautiful Greek Island of Lesvos’. I had in fact written a book,...